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Santa Fe library director reports rising use, board schedules bylaws review
Summary
At a brief April meeting, the Santa Fe Library Advisory Board accepted January minutes, heard a report from the library director showing year-to-date increases in accounts, circulation and online activity, and set a July review of its bylaws. Board members discussed accessibility upgrades, upcoming events and Friends group fundraising.
The Santa Fe Library Advisory Board accepted corrected minutes from its January meeting and received a report from Stephanie, the library director, showing growth in patron accounts, circulation and online activity.
The director's report, presented at the board's meeting, said, "In January, we had 78 total new accounts added. The collection increased to 543,000, and the webpage was hit" — figures the director highlighted as signs of increased use. She also reported 183 program sessions across the quarter, strong children's program attendance and higher Wi-Fi and public-login numbers for February and March.
The report described operations details and upcoming events that the board discussed. Stephanie said she ordered $3,700 worth of books (about 183 titles) and is preparing for the Texas Library Association conference. She noted rising unit prices for large-print and hardcover bestsellers and that the library's collection now exceeds 553,000 items. "We saw 11% of the population in March," she said, referencing the library's per-capita visits based on the city's population figure used for reporting.
Board members pressed on access and facilities. The director said the Friends of the Library have about $29,000 in savings and are considering using part of those funds to install one set of automatic doors on the library's right-side entrance; she gave a contractor estimate of $6,710 for the two-door set (additional electrical work was described as a separate cost). The board discussed senior and mobility access needs, noting volunteers currently help patrons enter.
Programs and community outreach highlighted in the report included a Serendipity Garage Sale (drop-off and sale dates were specified), an upcoming fun run planning meeting, scholarships with a filing deadline that day, a county special-education event where the library will host a table for approximately 300 families, and a temporary suspension of chess club because of declining participation. The Friends group reported 30 members including seven business members and recent fundraising of $317.95 from a sale.
On governance, the board discussed its bylaws, which have not been reviewed since April 2022. Members agreed to review the bylaws over the coming months, circulate proposed changes by email to the group, and take up a formal discussion and vote in July. Stephanie asked members to send suggested revisions to her for distribution.
The board scheduled its next regular meeting for July 7 at 10:30 a.m. The meeting was adjourned shortly after 10:50 a.m.
Votes and formal actions were limited. A board member moved to approve the minutes as corrected; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. No roll-call tally was recorded in the meeting transcript.
